Standoff Missiles

SENIOR MEMBER

Standoff missiles are missiles or bombs which may be launched at a distance sufficient to allow attacking personnel to evade defensive fire from the target area. Typically, they are used against land- and sea-based targets in an offensive operation. The name is derived from their ability to engage the target while standing off outside the range at which the defenders are likely to engage the attacker. Typical stand-off weapons include cruise missiles, glide bombs and short-range ballistic missiles.

NEW RECRUIT

Nothing like some pictures of missiles to spice up your day. Especially that Storm Shadow. Just thinking about the amount of damage that could do, really makes you think. Plus the design of the missile is just so damn beautiful. If that was the last thing I saw dropping on me I would find it beautiful to watch plummet down to me from the air.

Senior Moderator

Navy's LRASM anti-ship missile may prove a game changer against China, yet it's still a slow subsonic weaponLRASM can cover the distance from China, the Philippines, and Japan, yet its subsonic design may be a disadvantage against hypersonic anti-ship missiles.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy harbors many secrets that must be kept from America’s enemies, like where its submarines are operating or how it exploits intelligence from reconnaissance satellites, yet many of the Navy’s surface warships have almost no anti-ship missile capability to engage hostile vessels? Forbes reports.

The threat posed by hostile warships is back, driven mainly by China’s rise in the Western Pacific. If the U.S. Navy wants to preserve its dominant role in the region, it will need to rebuild its ability to deter and defeat hostile naval forces.

There appears to be only one solution with the necessary range, lethality and survivability. It is called the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM. It can reach 580 miles, and is so stealthy it is nearly impossible to detect—much less shoot down. China’s navy has little means to counter a maneuvering weapon that generates no trackable radar return or infrared signature.

As effective as LRASM may be, however, it's still a subsonic missile. In this new era of hypersonic missile development, LRASM has missed the boat. Without hypersonic speeds, it still takes time to reach its target, and may never get there if detected.